Chapter 152 - 152: Argue
After paying the fare, Jiang Chuan and Jiang Xia found a spot to sit in the back of the bus.
They thought that the ticket collector was annoying enough, but as soon as they sat down, whispers filled the bus.
“Do you smell that? There’s a strange smell on the bus.”
“Yeah, yeah, I smell it too. Has the bus service become so poor that anyone can get on?”
“I know right, I don’t know if they’ve gone crazy from poverty. If 1 had known, 1 wouldn’t have taken this bus.”
It was obvious that anyone could understand who they were talking about, especially when the speakers kept looking back at them, giving them disdainful glances now and then.
Why are people always like this?
Jiang Xia was furious.
Besides, how could she possibly smell? As soon as she got home, she cleaned herself thoroughly. Not even a speck of dust could be found, let alone a smell.
These people were just assuming they were easy to bully because they were dressed poorly.
Even the usually patient Jiang Chuan wanted to stand up and confront them. Luckily, Jiang Xia was calm and pulled him back.
Jiang Xia was still glad that she didn’t bring Zhou Lan along. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to stop Zhou Lan if she had heard this.
“Dad, don’t bother with them. It’s useless, and they might even call you petty,” Jiang Xia whispered to comfort him.
Jiang Xia then looked at the woman who was constantly looking back at them with disdain. She didn’t look particularly well-dressed herself, so Jiang Xia wondered why she looked down on others.
Just as Jiang Xia had expected, Lin Yan, who had taken the lead, was not a proper city person. Her brother had benefited from a national policy and was enlisted in the military. Upon his enlistment, he made a great contribution and was not only given food for his family, but they also gave the Lin family a place to work in the city.
Just like that, Lin Yan, the daughter of a farmer, became a glorious worker overnight. She entered the county town as a cotton mill worker.
From then on, Lin Yan was no longer willing to stay in the village. She even felt that she was a qualified city person, different from the villagers.
With such self-perception, Lin Yan gained quite a few ‘admirers’, such as the girls who had echoed her earlier, who were villagers wanting to befriend her.
During the conversation, Jiang Xia gave Lin Yan a good look. She was wearing a bright red blouse with very rural-looking trousers a rather odd combination.
But in this era, ‘city people’ considered such bright red as fashionable.
Jiang Xia didn’t want to bother with Lin Yan, but seeing that the father and daughter duo didn’t respond, Lin Yan became even more offensive.
“I say, you two villagers, can you get off the bus? You’re really polluting the air.”
Jiang Xia didn’t expect Lin Yan to be bold enough to speak to them like that.
This time, not only Jiang Chuan couldn’t bear it anymore, even the usually calm Jiang Xia got angry.
Jiang Xia swiftly rose from her seat, hands on her waist, and confronted Lin Yan, “What did you say? Do you think your words decide everything? Polluting the air? I wonder who’s causing a stink around here! Who do you think you are, meddling so much! I’ve paid my fare, I can sit wherever I like, does this bus belong to you? Why should I leave? Could it be that you’ve not bathed for days, stink yourself, and are blaming others?”
“You…”
Hearing those words was truly satisfying. Jiang Chuan, sitting nearby, wore a proud expression. It was as if he was just a moment away from standing up to applaud Jiang Xia.
Lin Yan, on the other hand, was left speechless. She had a lot to say but was choking on her words. All she could do was point at Jiang Xia and her father, glaring at them.
At this point, Lin Yan’s friends who had boarded the bus with her couldn’t just sit idly by. They stood up one after another to speak on Lin Yan’s behalf.
“I’m saying, aren’t you two just looking for trouble? We’ve already told you that you smell, and yet you argue back!”
“Exactly! When we ask you to leave, just leave! Why do you talk so much? You’re just wasting everyone’s time.. I think you came on board just to annoy us, right? Truly, village people have no manners!”